How to get someone else's Apple ID off your iPhone: Make your smartphone forget a previous owner's Apple ID

iPhone keeps prompting for the password to the wrong Apple ID? It's a fairly common problem, particularly if you're inherited a friend's device or used to share it. Here's how to get your iPhone to forget somebody else's Apple ID, whether it's for iCloud, the App Store or Find My Friend

My iPhone keeps asking for the password for the wrong Apple ID. Can I make the iPhone forget that ID and just remember mine?

Whether your iPhone is simply asking you for somebody else's password, or you've inherited an iPhone with somebody else's account, you'll want to get rid of that unwanted Apple ID and use your own instead.

Your Apple ID is the email address (often ending in iCloud.com, but not necessarily) you use to log into the App Store and other Apple services. The password is the one you typically enter when you want to download an app from the App Store. But it's used for various services and functions throughout iOS.

How to get someone else's Apple ID off your iPhone: Remove Apple ID from iCloud or Find My Friends

Removing the Apple ID from iCloud or Find My Friends is trickier. In these instances, Apple requests the password from you before removing the Apple ID. This is a security measure to prevent stolen phones from being sold on.

If you know the person, then you'll need to get their password from them (or get them to enter it). If you don't have their password (because you bought the phone second-hand) then you should get in touch with the person as soon as possible, or return the iPhone for a refund.

Once you have the password, follow these steps to remove the Apple ID account from iCloud and Find My Friends:

Tap Settings > iCloud.

Scroll down and tap Sign Out.

Tap Delete from My iPhone.

Enter the password of the person's Apple ID.

Tap Turn Off.

When signed out you can tap Sign In and enter your Apple ID and password to start using the device.

How to get someone else's Apple ID off your iPhone: What if I don't know the password?

Unfortunately, we don't know of a way to remove an Apple ID from an Apple device if you do not know the password. This is a security measure put in place by Apple to help combat the theft of iPhones.

It's important when buying a second-hand iPhone to ensure that the Apple ID has been removed. You can do this by tapping Settings > iCloud and ensuring that nobody's name is listed.